Celebrating Pride Month: Laverne Cox, first transgender nominated for Primetime acting award

Laverne Cox, born May 29, 1972 in Mobile, Alabama, is the first transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category.  She was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance in Orange Is The New Black. She was the first transgender person to win a Daytime Emmy Award in Outstanding Special Class Special for her work as executive producer for Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word.

On June 9, 2014, Cox became the first transgender person to appear on the cover of Time magazine.  She is the first transgender person to have a wax figure in Madame Tussauds.

 

Cloris Leachman, multi-award winning actress extraordinaire, born 1926

One of my favorite actresses of all time, Cloris Leachman, born April 30, 1926 in Des Moines, Iowa, has won nine Emmy Awards, including a Daytime Emmy, more than any other performer.  She won the title of Miss Chicago 1946 and competed in the Miss America pageant.  She appeared in a handful of movies during the 1950s and 1960s, but mainly appeared on television.  She won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The Last Picture Show. 

Leachman appeared in three Mel Brooks movies: Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety, and The History of the World: Part 1. She won her first Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for her work in A Brand New Life.  She won eight Primetime Emmys, a Daytime Emmy, and a Golden Globe among the many other awards she's received.

She remained acting until her passing in January 2021 from complications from a stroke with COVID-19 as a contributing factor.  

Happy 99th birthday, Betty White!

Phenomenal actress Betty White, born January 17, 1922 in Oak Park, Illinois, celebrates her 99th birthday today!  She started her acting career in 1945 in a short film Time to Kill.  Since then she's gone on to have a stellar career in television, with roles in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls, and Hot in Cleveland. 

She has won 5 Primetime Emmys, a Daytime Emmy and even a Grammy Award. 

She does not show signs of slowing down.

"Captain Kangaroo" debuts 1955

The long-running award-winning children's show Captain Kangaroo first appeared on television October 3, 1955, starring Robert Keeshan in the title role.  During its run, Captain Kangaroo was nominated for 6 Primetime Emmys and won 5 Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Children's Programming.

It is the longest-running children's series on US commercial television.  It was the longest-running children's series until 1999 when Sesame Street surpassed it.

Bob Keeshan played the character until 1984. 

Happy birthday, Flash!

Handsome actor John Wesley Shipp, born January 22, 1955 in Norfolk, Virginia, is probably best known for his work on the Emmy-nominated television series, The Flash, which ran for one season in 1990-1991.  He is starring in the current series The Flash as Henry Allen, the Flash's father.

Shipp has won two Daytime Emmy awards:  One for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series for Santa Barbara.  The second was for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for As the World Turns.